What skills have been lost

[geepee]

Not sure if this classes as a skill, art or custom......but ....when I were a young un my dad kept 2 pigs at bottom of garden,as did most folk that lived in rural areas.

He bought them at market as 'Weaners' and bought them home in the boot of the car.
They was fed on everything and anything from veg waste from garden to food scraps from table and a bit of 'Pig Meal' ( most likely bran and ground grains mix).

When they grew to be big enough to climb over the wall it was time to sell one in market to get money back for purchase and feeding both plus a bit to cover costs.

Next step... get the local Pig Operator ( sounds better than 'Killer' ) in.

They were brothers, butchers by trade used to come and dispatch the remaining pig,.....

Hang it in the barn for a couple of days then use your Tin bath and Wash house Copper full of boiling water to Scald it and shave the hairs off it.

They would cut the carcass into joints etc.
(All this before fridges and freezers remember) ...so all 4 legs , minus hocks , would be salted down for ham and gammon in a 'Salting Lead'.... ie Wooden trough sealed with Pitch to make waterproof, until 'Cured' whereupon, after drying they would be wrapped in grease proof paper ( NO cling Film them days) Put into a linen bag ( Pillow case or similar) and hung from hooks in the kitchen ceiling to dry.
(The same applied for the Bacon 'Fliches' ie Loin section).

It used to be said that 'The only part of the pig you could,nt use' was the squeal...
Feet were used for Pigs Trotters , Ears,tail, snout and any bone trimmings were boiled to make 'Brawn,..delicious potted meat by today's standards.

Cheeks and head was cooked ,roasted , called 'Pigs Chap' delicious as cold cut ...

Intestines were cleaned and used as Sausage skins and any other usable flesh minced and spiced to make sausage, hazlet or Pork pies.
The Offal .....heart, Kidney liver etc was all used in 'Pigs Fry' together with Skirt fat and belly pork, This was usually shared with other family members who also kept pigs and returned the favor as and when they dispatched theirs.
Due to the lack of Fridges and freezers it was normal to spread the dispatch times.

So not only did the pigs provide meat to share , they also produced manure to spread on the garden to produce plentiful seasonal veg etc..


Any body know of an empty pig sty ..???

[geepee]

Nothing is impossible,,.....some things just require a little more effort....effort costs nowt if youve got the time and inclination

[ESBkevin]

geepee that all sounds quite familiar.

My grandparents farmhouse had a pantry that was half sunk into the goround (semi celler if you like, about 7-8 steps). The ceiling was still full height, food was kept there year round at cool temps in the dry. In the far corner was a wooden tray used for salting the meat and hooks with long string/rope in the ceiling enabled the hams to cure out of reach. My father had a pig killed about this time of year and the butchered meat came back to be preserved then divided up amount the family. The farmhouse also had two small pigsty which in my life were only used as tool sheds. My Father has a smallholding and commercial pig production was one income stream.

We also had chickens (layers) and a few cockrell which were raised summertime for winter meat. Looking back half a century we were no longer normal in providing for ourselves even then.

[Snoop Puss]

It used to be said that 'The only part of the pig you could,nt use' was the squeal...

Here they even eat the squeal (I can attest to the fact that it isn't a nice texture...).

We keep talking about getting a pig. The locals keep telling us to get a pig. The slaughterhouse is only 20 km away. So it would be feasible. But I know Mr Snoop: he'd see it as a pet. I've seen him on holiday, calling them over and giving them a back scratch. Far too clever and affectionate, he'd say. Doesn't stop him eating sausages from the local butcher, mind.

[DWSmith]

It used to be said that 'The only part of the pig you could,nt use' was the squeal...
Feet were used for Pigs Trotters , Ears,tail, snout and any bone trimmings were boiled to make 'Brawn,..delicious potted meat by today's standards.

Cheeks and head was cooked ,roasted , called 'Pigs Chap' delicious as cold cut ...

I think this is what we referred to as head cheese or souse. It's hard to find good head cheese these days.

So not only did the pigs provide meat to share , they also produced manure to spread on the garden to produce plentiful seasonal veg etc..

They could even be used to plough and fertilize the vegetable garden.

We keep talking about getting a pig. The locals keep telling us to get a pig. The slaughterhouse is only 20 km away. So it would be feasible. But I know Mr Snoop: he'd see it as a pet. I've seen him on holiday, calling them over and giving them a back scratch. Far too clever and affectionate, he'd say. Doesn't stop him eating sausages from the local butcher, mind.

And the dang things are smart too. A couple hours by car from here they're having a feral pig problem. A group of them will tear up an acre of corn over night. They're telling hunters not to hunt them. If you do hunt them during the day they're smart enough to become nocturnal. If you do happen to see one they're encouraging people to shoot them.

It's funny that folks I work with are surprised I have butchered deer. They asked me how I learned to do it and I said there's nothing to it, after you skin and gut them you just cut them up like a chicken and then there's a bit more to do. The thing is they don't know how to cut up a whole chicken from the grocery store! Even that is becoming a lost skill (?).

[rary]

It really does come down to who and how some of these skills are passed on. There really are a lot of pillocks about nowadays and I really have no idea how we got to this stage.

.
Possibly because, we let it get to this stage

You wouldnt see a child wear home knits now.
Sign of the times but I liked it better " in my day"

I don't disagree with you, but why should "we" allow this to happen, simply because the advertiser's say this is how we should dress

It's the manufacturers that make the disposable items that shouldn't be disposable that annoy me.

Remember that people say its the purse that dictates what we get, by that I mean if you (and I am not meaning you personally DW) stop buying something the manufacturer's will change things, and yes there are things that I will not purchase because of I do not agree how or where they are manufactured, even though they may be cheaper (don't let folk know that it could destroy my reputation) perhaps that is a skill that has been lost. Telling the manufacturer's what we want, rather than them telling us what we need

[Snoop Puss]

^^
OK, time for us all to own up: who else has bought a printer because it's cheaper to do that than buy a new toner drum and cartridge?

[SelkirkAlex]

It's funny that folks I work with are surprised I have butchered deer

there's my africa experience again maybe, and I suppose lack of legislation/interference.
I wouldn't call it the norm but certainly extremely common for people to hunt, kill there own venison then slaughter and butcher and process the meat, often on the kitchen table, certainly no need for an abbatoir on meat for your own use.

my barber was hungarian (THE sausage kings, if you believe them) and with some german and afrikaans mates every winter we would buy a nice fat porker, slaughter and process it into various delicacies in his back yard apart from the meat a wonderful way to spend a day.

admittedly I am a caveman, but if you can't pay an animal the respect of learning how to handle it, you don't deserve to eat it

[DWSmith]

admittedly I am a caveman, but if you can't pay an animal the respect of learning how to handle it, you don't deserve to eat it

I agree 100% and I'd like to add that out of respect for the animal that gave its life none of the edible parts should be wasted.

[bramble]

I really think its the " make do and mend "skills that have been lost.
How many people have a button box.
My mother always had a ready tin of buttons, buckles, zips, hook and eyes and other odds and ends.
Nothing went to waste.
I always put elbow patches on my childrens school jumpers to save them wearing out too quickly.
We were also great for dying clothes. If anything went off colour or looked a bit faded my mother dyed it and you got another bit of wear from it.
I also remember my mother letting down my dresses when I grew out of them and even putting false hems on them.
We covered school book covers in brown paper to keep them in good condition and sold them back to the next class coming up behind us.
Everything was used and repaired until it was worn out.
Trouble now is we live in a disposable society.

[lottie dolly]

To this day,i still have zips,elastic's,cottons,tapes,buttons,hooks & eyes,plus more,also a large amout off fabrics,and patterns,and machinery,I of these days,i hope to start sewing again,not just repairing things,i refuse to get rid of anything,it will be death do us part only,i even have my own room,some people used to undo the knitting,wash and reuse,just over 30 years ago,i got 4 differnent colors of fleece,all 5 of us had track suits,any left overs were made into shorts ext for the toddler,and kept for making sleaves and leggs longer,i cut em through,then introduced a different color,it later became very fashionable,also longer back,MR worked as a council tip machanic,them days they had access to things,was supprising what got recicled,knitted body blanks,a very large roll of fabric,it was used for,kid PJ,some family men had work tops,i had it for a few years using,these days they are not allowed,what a waste of things,it was also satisfaction that you had created something,NO one else had,i also think the same as Bramble,the govenment have made way for cheap school uniforms ext,and cheap imports,so most young peeps think it below them to contemplate doing such thinks,get to a charity shop and look for sumat to trans form.soap box now dismanteled and put away.

[bramble]

Lottie Dolly. I sm in totsl agreement with you.
Plus, the satisfaction you got from making something useful from so little.

[DWSmith]

This doesn't quite fit in the topic of lost skills but on my little hobby farm I have some hay fields. I began letting a guy come in to mow and bale hay for shares. He paid me half the fair market value of each bale and kept the bales. The other half of the value of each bale paid for his fuel, time, etc. He fed the hay to his cattle. He retired. I have another guy mowing and baling now.

My problem/concern has always been the stewardship for the land. The money I get for hay won't pay for liming and fertilizing the fields. The nutrients in my fields that are taken up by the grasses are transported to someone's fields, fed to their cattle, and the nutrients from my fields are dropped by the cattle onto his fields. My fields are slowly being depleted.

After I sell my share of the hay I'm calling it quits. I've been vetoed for 11 years by SWMBO but she's finally come around to my way of thinking.

I'll mow the grasses and let them lay on the ground to build up the topsoil again. I plan to plant some trees in the fields too; nut, fruit, and berry trees for the wildlife.

I guess my point is that with more of a corporate farming mindset some farming skills and knowledge have been lost. There has been a movement for several years going back to the old ways one of which is that if you're going to raise livestock make sure to have enough land to raise grasses to feed your livestock. The reason is that fuel and equipment costs are outrageous and you'll make more profit moving your cattle to another paddock than to pay to have hay moved miles and miles. Farmers are also getting away from feeding grains to cattle which can cause ulcerations to the digestive system. Cattle are ruminants and meant to process leafy plants and not grains.

I suppose to be fair I should add a new farming skill that has been developed. I've seen papers on University studies on how to most effectively feed stale bakery goods (Twinkies, Cupcakes, Doughnuts, etc.) and expired bubble gum in the wrapper to cattle.

I'll stop now.

(As a side note, a guy just now came by (I was expecting him) and we agreed on a price for the rest of my hay. I don't have the check in my hand yet but we shook on the price. I may shortly be out of the hay business. )

[ESBkevin]

DW why not sell the grazing rights to the fields.

The trampling effect of hoves on grass and the dropping of manure is well known to enhance the soil condition (provided it's not overdone). The farmer could be asked to top the field after a 6 week occupation then leave it a month before another graze session of a month or so and a final topping of the weeds when it's finished.

Farmers gets cheap fresh grazing, saves his own fields for hay for a year or two and you get your fields refreshed for a year or two before letting him cut hay again.

Just a thought, cattle transport might make it unworkable if the distance is huge.

[DWSmith]

I've considered it but decided not to for a couple of reasons.

1) I'd have to fence the property.
2) The water source would be my fairly new pond. I've seen the kind of damage cattle can do to a pond.
3) The county extension agent advised me to improve the recreational use of my land instead of the agricultural use. It will add more value. So I had the pond put in.
4) We are also under covenants restricting us to no more than 10 head of livestock. Not sure anyone would want to bother with that limitation.

Hardwood trees and the right types of grasses will help improve the wildlife habitat. We have whitetail deer, turkeys, pheasants, squirrels, rabbits, and some other desirable species for hunting/viewing.

This area isn't that good for agriculture with the exceptions of cattle grazing and hog farming. Corn and soybeans are grown but this area is far from ideal.